Around Palm Beach
Tarrabora Reserve
On Currumbin Creek at 945 Gold Coast Highway, this reserve holds saltmarsh, coastal dunes, Banksia woodland and closed forest. City of Gold Coast calls it an important wildlife habitat, especially for birds and reptiles.
19th Avenue Lake
Queensland's catchment story lists this lake as storage for high flows. Water that sits after a big rain is what mosquitoes want, so homes near any lake or creek edge should keep their own yards dry.
Native rodents
The council says Australia has around 60 native rodent species, and all native wildlife in Queensland is protected. A rodent in bushland near the creek isn't automatically a pest.
Fire ants
Don't dig or pour anything on a suspect mound. Contact Biosecurity Queensland within the 24 hours Queensland law gives you.
Which rodent have you got?
| Brown rat | Roof rat | House mouse | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 180 to 255 mm | 165 to 205 mm | 60 to 100 mm | |
| Tail | Shorter than its body | Much longer than its body | About the same as its body | |
| Lives | At ground level, burrows and swims | In roofs, ceilings, trees and dense plants | Wherever a very small opening leads to food | |
| Droppings | Banana or sausage shaped | Spindle shaped | Rod shaped, 3 mm to 6 mm | |
| First move | Find the burrow and the food | Trim branches away from the roof | Seal small gaps |
What rodent control involves
A good pest controller inspects before anything goes down, because the way in decides the job. Expect gaps sealed, food and shelter cleared, and bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait) placed where they're needed, with a follow up visit to check them. The written quote should say which of those it covers.
Tell the technician about kids, pets and any fish tanks so they can plan the work and tell you any precautions.
If bait has been swallowed
If a child has swallowed rat bait, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 straight away, and don't induce vomiting. If it's a pet, go to the vet now. Call 000 if anyone collapses or stops breathing.
Termites, and a building and pest inspection
CSIRO puts the highest termite risk in the subtropics and tropics, and the QBCC's advice is a yearly inspection and report. Damaged timber and mud tubes are what most owners notice first. Don't disturb either.
Buying in Palm Beach? The termite side of a building and pest inspection is what we cover. The building report needs a licensed residential building inspector, and it's not a warranty against future defects.
Where we'd begin in Palm Beach
Work out which rodent you've got, using the table above and a photo if you can, then seal what you can reach. If it's in the roof or keeps coming back, tell us what you've seen and your postcode.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
